A patient presents a prescription for zolpidem (Ambien) written 6 weeks ago. What should the technician do?

The proper action in this scenario involves understanding the regulations surrounding controlled substances like zolpidem, which is classified as a Schedule IV medication. Typically, prescriptions for Schedule IV substances are valid for up to 6 months from the date they are written. Since the prescription for zolpidem was written 6 weeks ago, it is still within the allowable time frame for dispensing. Therefore, it is appropriate to process the prescription and fill it for the patient.

While options involving contacting the prescriber or the manager might be appropriate in different scenarios, they do not apply here, as the prescription is still valid. Verifying authorization or suspecting fraud would be warranted only if there were indications that the prescription was not legitimate or if it had been significantly older than typical permissible limits. In this case, the prescription is not outdated, and there are no indications of fraud, so the technician can confidently proceed with processing the prescription.